Property owners have signed a petition to stop all motorized use of the Bear Canyon area and the County Commissioners will decide this issue at a meeting to be held at City Hall on the corner of Rouse and Main, in the basement meeting room Tuesday, March 4th, 9:00am. It is critical that supporters for motorized use attend and voice objection to this action. Commissioner Murdock is the main proponent of this action and he may be contacted at the County Courthouse, 3rd floor or by calling 582-3000.

_TPOrlene Eklund passed away on January 29th. The funeral is Monday, February 3rd at the Lakeside Community Church. Please contact Cindy St. Clair for more information 883-3994. Though many of you probably didn't know Orlene very well you know and love her longtime soulmate Uncle Vic. He will need your support.

We had a large turnout for our annual Christmas Tree run on December 7th. Many thanks to Dennis LaTulip and Loretta Kelly for providing yummy chili and to everyone else who graciously shared their treats. Our Christmas party on December 13th was also a huge success. Thanks to the Burnside's for opening up their home for the party and to Dennis LaTulip for cooking the meat. Great food, conversation and laughter.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. In a victory for the U.S. Forest Service and off-highway vehicle ("OHV") advocates, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today reversed a lower court decision involving off-highway vehicle ("OHV") access to Montana National Forests. The suit involved Forest Service Wilderness Study Areas created by the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977. Originally filed in 1996 by the Montana Wilderness Association and other organizations, the suit claimed that the agency was failing to take action to restrict OHV access and had illegally allowed OHV-friendly trail improvements. The Montana district court granted summary judgment and decided the case in favor of the Wilderness Associations. The Forest Service and access advocacy groups led by the BlueRibbon Coalition appealed the district court decision.

I was nodding off with my chin resting on my chest when the meeting speaker suddenly caught my attention. I hate it when that happens – he called out my name and asked me a question. Of course, because I’d been lost in dreams of trails and mountains, I had no clue what the question was. But my neighbor saved me and said, “Give your coalition speech.”

The M4X4A Quarterly Delegates meeting will be at Mountain West Bank on February 9th at 10:00 A.M., and NOT at the Lewis and Clark County Library as previously mentioned.

The address is 2021 N. Montana Avenue, Helena MT. (Downstairs)

This is near the intersection of Cedar Street and Montana Avenue. For those coming in on I-15, take the Cedar Street exit and head west. Montana Avenue has a stoplight, with JollyO's gas station on the right, and a carwash on the left.